Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Another lost reader for the Daily Express

So my father has finally got sick of the Daily Express. I know it's 'silly season', but a fortnight of split front pages between Diana and Madeline have, after many years as a loyal reader, driven him to look elsewhere.

It's been long in coming, the Express has been shifting tack and sailing close to Daily Mail waters so much so that it became a regular feature on Mail Watch in June 2005. Anyway I get asked what else he can read. The Mail is bargepole territory and The Sun and The Mirror flaming bargepoles, so as an answer I quickly go for The Guardian, The Independent and The Observer.

Apparently the verdict was "They're a bit wordy aren't they" and it's true if you've been with the Express for some time the change in presentation can be a bit daunting, but content-wise they should act like a breath of fresh-air.

Anyway I thought he'd like The Guardian as they seem to happily refer to the Conservative party as "Tories", a term you'd rarely hear the actual party use as it was an insult dating back to the 17th Century and meant Irish Bandits or Irish bog dweller, but the cry was "There's a lot to it isn't there" referring to its multi-part nature.

I think he's going to try for The Observer today as he couldn't get one tomorrow I'm sure at some point I'll find out what he thinks of that.

2 comments:

Don B said...

I was a life-long reader of The Guardian, but was immensly disappointed that they did not come out against the goverment's folly in Iraq and so I switched to The Independent. I was surprised that you included the Observer (a weekly) as an alternative for a daily.

If you, or he, thought the Guardian and Independent "They're a bit wordy aren't they" what about the Birmingham Post, it's regional and not too heavy in style and right of centre?

FlipC said...

I'm an internet boy so publishing schedules tend to pass me by. I'll try him on the Post, but he's more left then right.

Sadly he's reverted back to the Express, I saw it lying folded on his coffee table Maddy staring out at me. I picked it up still folded and said "By my great psychic powers I predict that the above fold story will be about...Diana" Shame we weren't doing it for money ;-)